


The Nightmare of a Serpent

by RitualManager



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Angst, FP is mentioned, Fluff, How Do I Tag, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Set in Season 1, don't worry no one's actually dead, joaquin has a nightmare, so is sheriff keller, the gore isn't too bad honestly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-31
Updated: 2018-08-31
Packaged: 2019-07-04 21:17:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15849537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RitualManager/pseuds/RitualManager
Summary: When Joaquin has a graphic nightmare about his boyfriend, his mind is struck with how real it felt and needs to know whether Kevin is okay or not.





	The Nightmare of a Serpent

**Author's Note:**

> I really miss Joaquin and hope he'll make a solid return in season 3. Kevin deserves better than Moose. Anyway, this is the first fic I've ever posted so please go easy on me. I apologize if there are any typos or mistakes as I tend to miss them a lot, but I hope you enjoy regardless.  
> Edit: Trying to fix mistakes and typos, my apologies! Your kudos and comments are really appreciated, thank you!

It started with darkness and a searing cold that froze Joaquin into place, afraid to move.

It was late. How late Joaquin couldn't tell, because when he patted his pockets his phone was not found. He could see the moon high and bright in the sky as it shined down onto the water of Sweetwater River, the lapping of the waves against the shore paired with bug chatter to create a calming ambiance. How had he gotten here? His memory was muddled and a blur, unable to be pieced together.

"Joaquin!"

His head snapped up at the voice, all too familiar and unpleasant. FP. The man came from seemingly out of nowhere, walking out from behind a tree that was too small to conceal him in the first place. He strided closer and Joaquin had to stop himself from taking a step back. Weakness wasn't a good thing to show to this man. Once the gang leader was close enough for Joaquin to see his face, he recognized the sneer that twisted his features, knowing that it meant anything but good. Pulling out a cigarette and lighting it, FP pointed a finger in the direction of the woods where the trees were thick.

"Clean up the mess, and don't leave any evidence. Report to me when you're done."

Joaquin turned to get a better look of where he pointed. Even when he squinted, all he could see was the blackness that the tree's shadows made. Opening his mouth to protest, Joaquin turned back to FP to find the man had vanished, the only thing remaining that proved he was ever there was the smoke from his cigarette disapating in the night air. Perplexed, Joaquin glimpsed at the forest once more before he decided to brave it, not having anything else to do and not wanting to deal with FP's anger if he didn't complete the job given to him.

Venturing through the brush, Joaquin found that the moon's light seemed to follow him into the woods, providing just enough light to thankfully prevent him from smacking his face into a tree branch. So far though, the forest remained undisturbed, giving no indication of a 'mess' that Joaquin had to clean.

Just as the thought ran through his mind, his foot took another step and sunk slightly into the ground, making a squelching sound that made Joaquin freeze. Looking down, he found it too dark to see what he had stepped in, but was suddenly struck by a strong coppery smell rising from where his foot had come down. Yanking his leg up, Joaquin backed away from whatever it was in disgust. That is, until he realized small clouds of dust floating near his ankles, and the fact that he could see much more clearly. Looking around, he found that he was no longer in the woods by Sweetwater River, but in the empty, closed drive-in.

The screen stood looming above him, casting a long shadow from where it blocked the gleaming moon low in the sky. The ticket booth and concession stand were boarded up and looked as if they hadn't been touched in years. The area was too quiet, not even the sounds of wildlife could be heard in the deserted lot.

"Didn't you hear me? I said clean up this mess!"

Joaquin whirled around to see FP once again, cigarette still in his mouth, standing across from the raven-haired boy. But it wasn't the Serpent leader that drew Joaquin's attention. It was the fact that the man was looking down at a body splayed out on the ground, most likely male, surrounded by a gigantic pool of blood. Joaquin breifly registered that that was what he must've stepped in in the woods.

But gazing at the body, Joaquin shuddered when something about it appeared oddly familiar. He couldn't see much except that it was clad in jeans and a tan jacket (one that sent a prickle in the back of Joaquin's memory), but found himself petrified by the sight nonetheless. Their feet were bare and bloodied, littered with cuts and scrapes from when they had been most likely running relentlessly without shoes. The arms were curled close to their chest almost as if he’d been clutching something, but Joaquin couldn’t see anything.

Pulled forward against his will by some force, perhaps morbid curiosity, Joaquin stiffly appraoched FP and the corpse, blood stopping in his veins as the facial features came into view.

He knew the short styled hair, now unkempt and matted with blood. The patterned shirt and jacket that were torn and full of dirt stains. The beautiful green eyes, usually so lively and expressive, now glazed over and looking straight ahead, unmoving.

Joaquin looked on in terror at the body of Kevin Keller as he took in every injury: Dried blood caking his face where it had poured out of his mouth and nose. The still fresh patch of it collected at his stomach where the largest spot of it was. His wrist and ankle that were bent at angles that made Joaquin gag. The cuts and bruises peppering his entire body. And almost worst of all, the obvious tear tracks that parted the dried mud on his face.

Everything seemed to pass in a blur to Joaquin as he dropped to his knees, trying to ignore how the blood instantly soaked through his pants and stuck to his legs. Reaching forward with shaking hands, he brushed his hand across the brunet's cheek, flinching at how cold his skin was, retaining none of the warmth it usually did.

Joaquin couldn't stop the strangled sound that left him as tears began streaking down his face, pulling Kevin fully into his lap and craddling him close. He pressed his forehead to the other boy's, letting his sobs cut through the night air as his tears fell on Kevin's face, praying, begging for the limp body in his arms to do something. He barely registered FP moving behind him, crouching next to him and whispering in his ear.

"This is what happens when you defy me Joaquin. Don't let it happen again."

\---

Joaquin woke up to screaming. Cries that sounded ragged and tortured. It took him all of 30 seconds to realize the screams were his own. His chest was heaving, fighting with his lungs to breathe.

He was sitting up in his bed, in his trailer, blankets knotted and splayed on his lap from where he'd thrown them in his fitful sleep. He was completely covered in sweat, the sticky liquid reminding him of the blood that just stained his hands. But he wasn't covered in red, he was no longer in the drive-in or in the woods. But he couldn't shake the sense of terror that engulfed him.

Kevin. He had to know if Kevin was okay. Seeing his lover beaten and dead in his arms had shaken Joaquin to the core. It all had felt so real. Just the thought that anything could've happened to Kevin made him feel sick. He had to know. His stomach churned with the feeling of wrong that just wouldn't go away.

Stumbling out of his bed, he almost collapsed at how weak his knees were, quickly picking himself up and grabbing his jacket from off the back of a nearby chair. He ripped the door of his trailer open, barely remembering to lock it as he headed toward his bike parked out front. Getting on, he revved the engine and sped off, not even caring who it might wake. It was only then that he realized he hadn't stopped crying, the tears making his vision blurry and hard to see the road.

Once he made it to the line that separated Northside from Southside, he parked his motorcycle and continued on foot, knowing the consequences if some rich family complained about a Serpent taking a late night drive through the neighborhood. His boots which had been hastily yanked on, clomped loudly as they hit the pavement with each step Joaquin took as he sprinted through town.

Soon enough the Keller residence came into view, all lights out and everything quiet. Joaquin didn't even bother checking if the sheriff's truck was in the driveway, not caring. Scaling the oak tree by the side of the house with ease, he crossed the small stretch of roof before arriving at Kevin's window. The room inside was dark, the only light being the moon that shone in. Joaquin could just make out a still figure laying on the bed under the covers. Uncontrollably, his mind flashed back to the motionless body of his dream, tossed in the dust of the drive-in.

Spurred on by the traumatizing image, Joaquin began knocking on the window as loud and incessantly as he dared. Thankfully it was enough for the sleeping figure inside to jerk awake, head snapping to the window at Joaquin.

Kevin hastily got out of bed, no doubt incredibly curious as to what the fuck his boyfriend was doing here so late at night. He hadn't been expecting to see Joaquin until the next day, as the young serpent had some gang-related things he had to do and couldn't visit. Kevin thanked god that it was Friday night and that his dad was out of town, knowing Joaquin wouldn't come at this time were it not for an important reason, especially when they had a meeting planned just the next day. Padding to the window in the boxers and loose t-shirt he wore to bed, he opened the window with a soft whisper.

"Joaquin? What are you doing here?"

Instead of a solid answer, Joaquin all but collapsed into the room, instantly latching his arms around Kevin's waist and burying his face in the brunet's stomach. Shocked, Kevin's hands flew to rest on Joaquin's head, trailing them down to try and lift the boy's head to see his face, all the while questioning him in a soft tone. The serpent wouldn't budge however, adamant at keeping his face from view. Kevin soon became acutely aware of the shaking of Joaquin's shoulders and the fact that his shirt was getting wet where his face was. Was Joaquin. . . crying?

Kevin could count on one hand how many times he had seen Joaquin cry, knowing that not just anything would tip him over the edge. This was serious. His tears were also accompanied by faint murmurring being repeated like a mantra, none of which Kevin could make out.

Cupping what little of Joaquin's head he could, Kevin leaned down slightly while his thumbs drew slow circles on Joaquin's jaw and hair.

"Joaquin, babe, please tell me what's wrong. I need to know how to help you."

The murmurring stopped as Joaquin slowly, hesitantly, lifted his head and stared straight up at Kevin. His eyes were full of relief yet looked haunted at the same time, full of a fear Kevin had never seen in the ice blue orbs. Living the majority of his life in a gang made Joaquin tough, not letting him show fear as it would be taken as weakness. To see him so terrified was like a slap in the face to Kevin.

"Oh Joaquin, what happened to you?"

Lifting the raven-haired boy to his feet, Kevin walked them over to the bed, pulling Joaquin with him and situating the serpent between his legs as he felt Joaquin's arms looping around his midsection once more as he leaned against the headboard. He wasted no time in enveloping Joaquin in a tight hug, hands running up and down his back soothingly. After a time, when Joaquin's sobs turned into silent tears, the boy shifted his head to rest on the column of Kevin's neck.

"You're okay." A ragged sigh. "You're okay."

Perplexed, Kevin gently moved Joaquin's head so that their foreheads were pressed together and noses brushing, green eyes looking deeply into blue. "Yes, I'm okay. I'm fine. What gave you the impression that I wasn't?"

Joaquin closed his eyes, nuzzling into Kevin's cheek. "A dream. A nightmare. It's not a big deal."

The pieces finally clicked in Kevin's mind. He knew full well how a nightmare could lead someone to believe anything, depending on how realistic it was. And living in the slums with a gang, Kevin wasn't surprised to find out Joaquin had nightmares about violence. Everyone did, but the circumstances just gave all the more reason for Joaquin to have more than the average person, especially in a realistic way considering the gore Joaquin had most likely seen in his life. It was the fact that Joaquin had a dream of Kevin getting hurt bad enough to warrant actually coming over to see if he was alright that made the brunet worry.

"No Joaquin, it is a big deal. You wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t. I'm assuming you don't want to talk about it?"

Joaquin shook his head solemnly, preferring not to relive the moment.

"Then you'll stay here for the night," Kevin supplied, nudging Joaquin out of his jacket and indicating that he should take off his shoes.

"But your dad-"

"Will be gone for the whole weekend," Kevin interrupted. "I was going to surprise you tomorrow and ask if you wanted to stay over, but I guess it happened sooner than I thought." He brushed a thumb across Joaquin's cheek to rid it of any last tears, giving a soft smile. "We're alone."

With this newfound knowledge, Joaquin tossed his jacket on the floor and went under the covers that Kevin was holding up for him. Pressing as close as physically possible to the preppy boy, Joaquin engulfed him once again, reveling in the feeling of his boyfriend safe in his arms. He took in the warm skin, the familiar smell of sleep that clung to it, and the fingers that were carding through his hair. Sighing contentedly, he pressed his lips firmly to Kevin's, letting their mouths intertwine for a few moments before breaking apart.

"Thank you, Kevin. I love you."

Kevin smiled and Joaquin felt some of his insides melt. "You don't need to thank me for something I'm happy to do. I love you too."

They then settled down, legs tangling together as their breathing evened out and they fell into blissful slumber. Joaquin swore the next morning he had never slept more peacefully.


End file.
